1. Technical Field
The disclosure relates to a guidance device and a capsule medical device guidance system which guides a capsule medical device introduced into a subject.
2. Related Art
Capsule medical devices have been developed, each of which is introduced into a subject to obtain various kinds of information about the subject, or administer medication or the like to the subject. As an example, a capsule endoscope is known which is formed in a size small enough to be introduced into the subject's digestive tract.
The capsule endoscope includes an imaging function and wireless communication function in a capsule-shaped casing to perform imaging while moving in the digestive tract with peristaltic motion or the like, after being swallowed into the subject, and wirelessly transmit sequential image data of images of an organ inside the subject (hereinafter, also referred to as in-vivo image). The wirelessly transmitted image data is received by a receiving device provided outside the subject, and further captured into an image display device, such as a workstation, to be subjected to image processing. Thus, the in-vivo image of the subject can be displayed as a still image or a moving image.
In recent years, guidance systems have been proposed, each of which includes a guidance device for guiding a capsule endoscope introduced into a subject by a magnetic attracting force (hereinafter, referred to as magnetic guidance) (e.g., see JP 2008-503310 W and JP 2010-17554 A). Such a guidance system commonly has a configuration in which the capsule endoscope is internally provided with a permanent magnet, and the guidance device is provided with a magnetic field generation unit, such as an electromagnet or a permanent magnet, so that a magnetic attracting force of a magnetic field generated by the magnetic field generation unit magnetically guides the capsule endoscope in the subject. The guidance system is provided with a display unit for receiving image data obtained by the capsule endoscope and displaying an in-vivo image, and thus, a user can use an operation input unit provided in the guidance device to control magnetic guidance of the capsule endoscope, while referring to the in-vivo image displayed on the display unit.